Emeka Egbuka lands on Hornung Award preseason watch list
COLUMBUS — Ohio State senior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is set for a big final season of college football. The folks in charge of preseason award watch lists certainly agree.
Egbuka was named Thursday to the preseason watch list for the Hornung Award, which is given annually to the most versatile player in college football. Egbuka was a finalist for that award in 2022, when he topped 1,000 yards receiving as part of a breakout season for the Buckeyes.
Travis Hunter from Colorado won the award last season.
This follows Egbuka’s inclusion on the watch list for the Maxwell Award, which was released on Monday.
Egbuka returned to Ohio State for one final season to win a national championship and beat Michigan, something he and his fourth-year classmates are yet to do.
“Most players on the team who decided to return went through their own process and we did everything we did, looked at all the resources we offered, and we came back to each and we were like, ‘I think I want to come back,’” Egbuka said last week at Big Ten Media Days. “It was something that we all did individually.
“But it was very reassuring to me that we were all on the same page and we’re trying to etch our names in history.”
Egbuka can certainly etch his name in history if he can beat Michigan and win the national title with the Buckeyes. He can also do so by being the most versatile player in the country — and taking home the Hornung Award.
ICYMI: Maxwell Award preseason watch list released
The Maxwell Award, given to the best player in all of college football, released its annual preseason watch list on Monday, and three Buckeyes superstars landed on the list. They’ll open the season with Maxwell Award aspirations.
Former Kansas State star Will Howard, the presumed Buckeyes starting quarterback and former Big 12 champion with the Wildcats, is on the Maxwell Award preseason watch list. He enters camp this week in the middle of a battle with third-year Ohio State quarterback Devin Brown. Howard is the favorite to win the job, so he’s on the watch list for the Maxwell Award.
Then there’s former Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins, the former two-time All-SEC tailback who transferred to Ohio State and is now showing up on the watch list for the Maxwell Award. After back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns for the Rebels, he will team up with third-year Ohio State back TreVeyon Henderson to form the best backfield in the country.
Finally, the Maxwell Award preseason watch list includes Ohio State superstar senior receiver Emeka Egbuka. After posting 1,151 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore, Egbuka battled an ankle injury last year and still posted good numbers.
So was watch list for Outland, Nagurski Trophies…
The Buckeyes landed a nation-best four players on the preseason watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is given annually to the top defensive player in college football.
Those four Ohio State honorees are senior cornerback Denzel Burke, senior defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, sophomore safety Caleb Downs and senior defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau.
Three Buckeyes found themselves on that prestigious preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy. Starting right tackle Josh Fryar, starting left guard Donovan Jackson and starting defensive tackle Tyleik Williams are all on the preseason watch list.
